


Twist the Knife

by Spike_1790



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-03-31
Updated: 2012-03-31
Packaged: 2017-11-02 19:36:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/372623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spike_1790/pseuds/Spike_1790
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Human Alternate Universe fic. R/NC-17. William and Liam are at school together. Liam humiliates his lover to make an impression on the jocks. WiP.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Genesis and Exodus

Liam hadn’t been happy when his mother had remarried. He missed his father and for him, the loss was still raw. He had been eleven when his father died. He had been sixteen when his mother remarried. Rupert Giles had been a good father figure for him, taking him in, coping splendidly with the rebellion Liam offered and accepting the boy as family. His son, William, had done so too after a shaky start.  
   
Liam and William had been in the same year at school, meeting for the first time in immediate dislike when William had joined at twelve years old. The small English boy had been picked on for his mannerisms and his un-American way of talking. Looking back, Liam was ashamed that he had been one of those doing the bullying.  
   
When Rupert had sat both boys down at the table and announced that they would be living in the same house, and that William and Liam would be sharing a bedroom, William had kicked up more of a fuss than Rupert had been expecting. The normally quiet, reserved boy had blown up, screaming profanities and cursing Rupert and Liam in equal measures. Rupert had grounded William, but not before he had slammed his bedroom door and told Rupert in no uncertain terms to “fuck the hell off”. Liam had been witness to this display, and had spread the word at school, earning William instant overnight respect from those who had thought him too mild mannered and meek to be a part of their crowd.  
   
That day was the first time William had skipped a class in his life. He ducked out of English to go shopping. He had taken all of his savings with him to the mall, and bought a whole new set of clothes, all of them black. He bought black nail polish and a box of peroxide for his hair and heavy chains and rings. He had been about to leave when he had caught sight of his step-mother to be coming out of the bridal shop a few doors down. William had ducked into a different shop to hide for the few minutes he needed.  
   
The first thing that hit him was the smell. The rich, deep scent of leather assaulted his senses and made him _want_ more than the black cotton t-shirts and denim jeans. He wanted to wear leather boots and coats and look as bad ass as he felt. Checking his wallet, he counted up the remaining bills. He had started with a little under eight hundred dollars and had, it turned out, spent less than a hundred so far. Decision made, he started browsing. A few coats caught his eye, but they didn’t feel _right._ The shop keeper saved him the trouble of choosing when he produced from the back room a full length leather trench coat. The man, Brian according to his name tag, said the coat had been a returned item that couldn’t be sold properly because of a small rip in the lining. To William, it was perfect. He paid over the five hundred dollars for the coat and a further hundred and fifty for a pair of Doc Marten boots that were also going cheap. He knew that he had got the coat and the boots at a serious discount, but his repeated visits to the shop since that day had meant a lot to Brian, who had little in the way of company since his divorce five years before. Brian and William became firm friends, and William spent hours in the shop, eventually taking a part time job there when he reached eighteen.  
   
When William had got back to school, he had struggled to fit all the bags in his locker. Liam, on his way back from hiding out in the bathroom to bunk off gym class, passed William in the corridor. His curiosity got the better of him, and he had gone over to see what William was doing. William had been suspicious at first, but together they managed to pack all their combined- and unused- gym clothes into one gym bag, and all William’s new purchases in the other. Then, figuring they still had plenty of time, they had gone off to the men’s toilets to bleach William’s hair in the sinks, taking the gym bag of new clothes with them. The smell of peroxide made the insides of their noses burn slightly and their eyes water, but the results were well worth it. William was looking amazingly good as a bad boy. Liam had pulled a t-shirt out of the gym bag as William was stripping off his pale blue button down shirt. Looking up, Liam had got an eyeful of well muscled abdomen, perfectly adorned with a trail of dark blonde hair from the small navel, disappearing from sight under dark brown slacks. Liam had licked his lips and hoped William hadn’t noticed.  
   
While William pulled on the t-shirt Liam handed him, Liam located a pair of black jeans for William to wear. William unbuttoned and unzipped the pants he was wearing, hesitating for only a moment before pulling them down. Liam was given a view of the most beautiful cock he had ever seen. It was long, thick and uncut. Liam was shocked that William wasn’t wearing underpants, but decided he didn’t want to break the moment to ask why. This time, William noticed the staring. Taking the jeans from Liam, he pulled them on, as slow as he could without making it obvious he was drawing it out for Liam’s benefit. Their eyes had met, and they shared a smile. William had broken eye contact first, looking over to the mirror and asking Liam to pass him the eyeliner from one of the bags.  
   
With eyeliner and heavy jewellery in place, William had tied the laces of his boots and shrugged on the leather coat. Taking a chance, he grabbed Liam and pulled him into a rough kiss. Liam hadn’t pulled away.


	2. Confessions

William knew it was a risk. Liam was popular, and William really wasn’t, but he was _sure_ Liam had been checking him out. Besides, if they were going to be living together, Liam would find out that William was gay before too long. Like every teenage boy, he had a stack of porn magazines hidden under the bed. Unlike the majority of boys, the magazines William tossed off to didn’t feature women with huge tits showing their pussies. William liked men. Men with hard cocks and muscles and firm arses.

The bell rang to announce lunch was starting. Liam pulled away from William, fingers unconsciously going up to his lips, which were tingling deliciously from their kiss. He groaned when he saw William reach down to adjust himself. William was hard. _I did that,_ Liam thought. He grabbed the gym bag, now stuffed with the clothes William had been wearing when he got to school, and they both stepped out of the bathroom.

William’s new look turned more than a few heads. Liam had mentioned in passing to some of the other popular kids that William seemed to be growing a pair, first the shouting match with his dad, and now the punk look. They laughed as they walked to the cafeteria. William was already there, sat with Xander and Willow, involved in an animated conversation and all three were laughing loudly. _He’s gorgeous when he smiles,_ Liam thought, before quickly filing that thought away under ‘where the hell did that come from?’ and ‘DENIAL’. Aside from the usual locker room comparison glances, Liam had never looked at another man’s cock before, and had _definitely_ never been attracted to men. Never. Except for all the times he was attracted to them...

But looking at William, knowing he would be living with him, seeing him smile and laugh and coming out of his shell, Liam wanted more. The few relationships he had had with girls had been a disaster- Buffy had been way too immature, and Cordelia had only wanted to be with him because of his popularity and money. When his father died, the money hadn’t been there, having been spent on medical bills and funeral expenses. Cordelia had left him. Liam hadn’t really cared. Others had offered their condolences, and Cordelia’s popularity had suffered a severe blow. Everyone thought she was a bitch for leaving Liam when he needed her most.

Liam snapped out of his daydream and memories when an elbow landed havily in his ribs.

“Dude. Hurry up.”

Liam glanced over to William’s table, only to find the blonde gone. He didn’t have a clue where the little group went when not in class or in the cafeteria. He had heard a rumour that the library was popular with the nerds and geeks, but he had a feeling William wouldn’t be there when he could be showing off his new look. Liam wasn’t hungry, so he made a cursory show of pushing around the congealing mess on his plate before leaving for the freedom of outside.

***

The sun shone bright and happily in the sky. William, Xander and Willow were sat on the bench nearest the steps. Willow and Xander were still reeling from the arrival of this new William. William was just revelling in the new-found positive attention. It was nice, not being picked on. He liked it. Willow left their little group early, saying that she had to go to the science rooms to work on her extra credit project. That was fine for William. He didn’t know if Willow would be okay with him and Liam. He had been one of the people who had picked on them most over the years. William had been lucky to have missed out on all the bullying they had been through.

Eyes closed, face turned up to get the maximum sun exposure, William enjoyed the remainder of the lunch break. More than anything, he wanted to tell his friends what had happened with Liam, but wisely decided that if it was a fluke, it wasn’t worth getting the shit beaten out of him for. Still, thinking about that kiss made him smile and his stomach fluttered happily at the memory.

Xander broke the silence. “What’s got you in such a good mood?”

William grinned. “I’m not the type to kiss and tell, mate.”

Xander’s grin was equally enthusiastic. “I think you just did. Who?”

“You’ll never guess.” William grabbed his books from the floor where he had left them, and went back in the building just in time for the end of lunch bell, Xander’s shouts of “Who?” and “Tell me!” following him down the corridor. William didn’t escape for long. The next class was shared with both Xander and Liam. Xander’s hand clapped down on William’s shoulder.

“Who did you kiss?” William’s eyes involuntarily glanced towards Liam, who was blissfully unaware of the conversation going on behind him.

“NO WAY!”

“Fucking hell! Keep your bleeding voice down!” William hissed as several students turned to look in their direction.

Xander blushed and lowered his voice. “Seriously?! Liam? I didn’t know you swung that way, man…”

“Got a problem with it?”

“No! God, no… You and Willow are my best friends. I don’t care who you want to go after. Just leaves more hot babes for me!”

William laughed. “Yeah, you’re a real babe magnet. Let me know when that magnet starts attracting instead of repelling them.” Xander laughed too, and punched William in the arm.

***

Liam was in the row in front of William and Xander. He had caught the laughing and the last line of the conversation. He was fast deciding that William’s laughter was his favourite sound in the whole world. There was only one thing worrying him- they had been talking about babes. No man would ever refer to another man as a babe. Was William really gay? Was he interested in Liam, or was that kiss just a one off? Lost in thought, Liam turned his attention to the teacher who was writing something about… Liam didn’t know. He hadn’t been paying attention to the introduction.


	3. Revelations

Rupert Giles had hit the roof when he saw William’s hair. Liam had waited on the steps outside the school with William until he was picked up. It was part of the whole being grounded package. They had sat shoulder to shoulder, and when Rupert had got out of the car, eyes wide with disbelief, William felt Liam’s hand close over his own, hidden from the view of the angry man coming towards them. William closed his eyes, waiting for the fall out and gleaning the tiny comfort he could from the connection to Liam. He squeezed Liam’s hand in response.

“What. Did. You. Do?”

“I, and I’m quoting more than one person here, grew a pair.” William replied, as calmly as he could, although his grip on Liam’s hand was tightening.

“William, if this is some kind of cry for attention…”

“It’s not. It’s an act of rebellion, I believe. And it’s not William anymore. It’s Spike now.”

“Spike?! What a ridiculous name.” Spike scowled at his father. Liam dropped Spike’s hand and stood up, picking up both their gym bags from where he had dropped them on the stairs.

“Erm, Mister Giles? Is my mom at your house or should I go back to my house?”

“Oh, Liam, yes. She’s at our house, cooking dinner. Not that William will be having any. I suppose it’s time you started moving your things into your room anyway. I have spent the day packing up some of William’s things to make space for a second bed in there.” William blanched. The last thing he needed was for his dad to find his stash of gay porn.

Spike was on his feet in an instant, anger battling with fear as to which would come out first. Anger won. “You fucking did what?!”

“I will not accept that language from you, William.”

“What does it fucking matter?! I’m already grounded, not that it makes a difference. What more can you do?” Rupert opened his mouth, but Spike didn’t give him a chance to reply. “And what kind of idiot thinks that grounding a person who never leaves the house is a good punishment? All you’ve done is taken away the walk to and from school, which is a _good_ thing. Least this way I’m not getting the shit beaten out of me.” The older man had no reply to that, although his mouth opened and closed a few times.

“William, I…”

“Just forget it, okay? Let’s just go home. Got to get Liam all moved into my room.” Spike opened the trunk of the car, taking the bags from Liam’s hands and throwing them unceremoniously inside.

The drive home was silent. Spike was seething with anger. It wasn’t that he was going to be sharing this room with Liam, because the guy was _hot_. It was that he hadn’t been asked. And that his dad had completely ignored any illusion of privacy William had had. He had thought, after his dad had walked in on a private- and naked- moment, that he would think twice before going into William’s room. Secretly, he was quite glad that he would be sharing a room with one of the hottest guys in the school. Stolen glances in the locker rooms aside, Spike hadn’t seen Liam unclothed and he was looking forward to it.

Liam was confused. He didn’t want to get in the way of what was quite clearly a family argument, but he would need to talk to William- _Spike,_ he reminded himself- about what was going on. When it came to mixed signals, it seemed that Spike was the undisputed champion. Had the kiss meant anything? And if it did, why would Spike object so much to sharing a room? The car engine shut off, interrupting Liam’s thoughts.

Spike slammed the car door, making Liam wince and Rupert scowl. He did make sure to take the gym bags out of the trunk before going into the house. Liam stood in the hallway, unsure of what to do. He had known that his mom was dating someone, but he hadn’t known it was Mr Giles, and he had never set foot in the Giles house before. He jumped slightly when Spike’s hand clapped down on his shoulder.

“Showing Liam the house,” Spike growled in his dad’s direction, steering Liam towards the staircase as he spoke. Neither boy spoke as Spike directed them towards the room they would be sharing. The second the door slammed shut, William’s lips met Liam’s. The kiss was deeper this time, more passionate, and Liam melted into it. Spike’s hands slipped round Liam’s back, moving down to squeeze the muscular globes of his ass. A jolt of pleasure shot down Liam’s spine, forcing him to press closer to Spike.

A knock on the door forced them to break their kiss. Spike’s eyes were dark with lust and Liam could see just how much the other boy had enjoyed it from the bulge in the very tight, black jeans. They were still stood close together, Spike’s hands still resting on Liam’s backside. With one last squeeze, Spike let go, wondering over to the only bed in the room. The knock sounded again. Liam opened the door, hoping that his lips weren’t showing obvious signs of having been kissed, and that the bulge in the front of his own jeans wasn’t too noticeable.

Rupert stood in the door way. “I was hoping to speak to William.”

Spike turned to face his dad. “Well I don’t want to talk with you. So make it quick.”

“Erm… maybe it’s best if we speak in private.”

“This is his room too. Should have thought about that first, shouldn’t you?”

“Quite. I just wanted to say that I am very disappointed in your recent actions and how you have gone out of your way to make Liam feel unwelcome.” Spike raised one eyebrow in Liam’s direction, making him blush and look away. “I also wanted to say that as part of your punishment, I have thrown away those magazines you had under your bed.” Spike’s jaw dropped, and his face flushed with colour.

“You know I’m… You know I’m gay?” Rupert nodded. “How long?”  

“Since we moved to America, you’ve shown no interest at all in girls. And I saw you kissing that boy, Wesley, before he moved away with his parents. I had my suspicions, but I had hoped you would have told me yourself. I understand you probably never meant for me to discover those, um, magazines…” Rupert trailed off, seeing the tears falling freely from his son’s eyes, smudging the carefully applied eyeliner. Liam kept silent, hoping that the awkward moment would pass quickly. Rupert sighed and left the room, wishing that he could hug his son without an audience.


	4. Links in a Chain

Liam had been called down for dinner, leaving Spike to his thoughts. No man should ever have their porn taken away from them. It was inhumane. Giles, as Rupert told Liam to call him, remarked that a flat pack bed had been ordered, and that maybe it would be nice for the two boys to assemble it together. Given the way Spike had reacted to his father’s other suggestions; he doubted his new roommate would be as pleased as Giles thought.

Parents could be so naïve, sometimes. While he had been shocked and upset about his mother moving on, he hadn’t reacted the same way Spike had. Liam supposed it was because he had had a little more time. Spike had only found out his father was dating when the elder Giles announced the boys would be sharing a room. You couldn’t just spring something like that on a person and expect them to deal. Liam had dealt by dealing out serious **pain** to any unfortunate member of the unpopulars, which was just about anyone not on the cheerleading or football teams.

Liam wanted to join the football team, but an incident involving a friend’s speeding car and a lamppost had meant both had been told in no uncertain terms that until given the all clear by the doctor, he would not be playing football. His best friends, Forrest and Riley, were already on the team, and had convinced the coach that Liam was an absolute must have and would bring Sunnydale High out of the bottom of the league.

His next check up would be in November, just a few weeks from now. Then he could be right where he needed to be, back in the popular crowd with his friends, drawing attention when he walked down the hallways. Right now his was only peripherally popular, thanks to his friendships with Forrest, Riley, and some of the cheerleaders.

When dinner was finished, Liam and Giles took the boxes that would become Liam’s bed up to the room Spike was still in. Liam knocked as a point of courtesy, but opened the door anyway when he got no reply. Spike looked adorable. His new coat was hung on the back of the desk chair, the boots neatly on the floor beside it. Spike was asleep, curled on his side facing the door, wearing his jeans and tight black t-shirt, looking like an angel in punk clothing.

Giles tutted, shaking his head. They dropped the boxes on the floor as quietly as possible. When Giles left the room again, Liam crouched on the floor next to Spike, laying one hand on Spike’s slim side. Shaking the other boy awake, he bit his lip to hold back the soppy grin that threatened to form. Those blue, blue eyes opened, looking straight into Liam’s own brown ones. Spike smiled and leaned in for a kiss. Liam obliged, licking at the seam of Spike’s lips, encouraging them to open. Their tongues duelled for a moment before the kiss ended and Spike pulled back.

“That was a great way to wake up,” he told the other boy. “What are those boxes for?”

Liam hesitated, still unsure of how Spike would react. Eventually, he managed to find the words least likely to provoke a volatile reaction from the blonde. “Your dad wants us to build a bed.”

“Does that involve getting up?”

Liam chuckled. “Yeah, but it means we can kiss again too.”

Spike swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his socked feet just brushing the carpet as he stretched, a whole body stretch that made every muscle in his stomach highlight for a moment. Liam licked his lips. Pushing up onto his feet, Spike dragged his fingers through his newly bleached hair, making it stick up in an endearing way. He padded over to the first box, tearing it open and propping the pieces of soon-to-be bed against the wall.

“Let’s get started then,” he said, stifling a yawn as he spoke.

***

About half an hour into the project, they stopped trying to make small talk, and took it in turns to ask the more embarrassing questions that they felt were absolutely necessary as part of a manly bonding exercise like DIY.

“So Liam, you like men right? Is that exclusive, or do you go for girls too?”

“Way to go below the belt there, Spike…” Liam paused, one hand on the plank of wood he had been countersinking the screw holes. “I like men. Just men. But no one knows. It’s not like I can go shouting it from the rooftops. The guys on the football team would treat me like one of the losers, like…” Liam trailed off, realisation sinking in.

“Yeah, I’m one of those. And so are my friends. It’s not a gay/straight thing. It’s a ‘them against us’ thing. They don’t discriminate because of who we like; we’re all losers to them, no matter which team we bat for.”

“Shit… I did that. I treated you like that. I’m so fucking sorry… I…shit…”

“That about sums it up, yeah. Promise you won’t use me or my friends as punching bags and we’ll be alright, I reckon. Xan might not be okay with it until you’ve apologized for destroying his comic books, but I can be the better man and put the past behind me.” Liam looked suitably ashamed, so Spike took another chance. “How long have you known you liked men?”

Liam laughed. “When I saw your skinny white ass after swim class.” Spike chucked a washer at Liam’s head, where it bounced off his forehead.

“Git. Be serious.”

“When Harmony was going on about ‘doing it’ and I realised I was more attracted to Graham than to her. I’m not all that attracted to Graham, so that must really be saying something about Harmony.”

Spike laughed. “Yeah, she can be a bit forward. She doesn’t like me. I called her a slut when she tried to snog me. She’s not my type.”

“What is your type, then?” Liam asked before his brain could catch up with his mouth.

“Tall, dark and handsome. What else?” Spike winked at Liam.

“Just men?”

“Just men.”

“Have you ever… um… I mean…”

“No. Just one kiss before you. What about you?”

“One kiss with Harmony.” Both of them snickered at that. There weren’t many guys in the school that hadn’t had a kiss with Harmony. Spike, Xander and Jonathan were probably the only ones who hadn’t. They finished the bed in companionable silence, the only remarks being requests to pass various bolts and washers or not to drop things on toes when one or the other had to move.

Eventually they were done, and both boys flopped down on the mattress they had dragged from the landing where it had been left, presumably by Giles, to the completed bed frame. 

“I’m starving. Any chance you could grab me some food from the kitchen? I’m still being punished for the new look and various swear words, or I’d go get something myself.”

Liam sighed exaggeratedly, trying to look as put upon as possible. “Anything else, sir?”

“Yeah. You can give me a kiss before you go.” And that was something Liam could definitely do for his new roommate.


	5. Bonding and Breaking

Liam moved his things in the next day. His mother must have had been packing boxes all the previous day, because only the essential things were left out- the cutlery and crockery in the kitchen, chairs in the living room, the television, the kettle, and the white goods were all that remained of their home, apart from Liam’s room, which had remained nearly untouched. He decided to be ruthless, throwing out anything and everything he didn’t need anymore.

 

One black bin bag was set aside for trash day, with all the things that weren’t worth keeping or donating. A box with clothes that didn’t fit, toys that had been boxed under the bed and forgotten about, and books he had long grown out of were going to be donated to whichever charity could make the best use of them, and the rest of his things, the things he would keep and move into Spike’s room, felt empty in comparison to the others.

 

He kept the clothes that fit him, a few favourite books, the things he needed for school, and his own stack of porn mags. He had no doubt in his mind that Spike would appreciate them being there, although he hoped they wouldn’t be needed. The kisses they had shared seemed to indicate Spike was interested in him, physically, at least. And Liam was _very_ interested in Spike.

Under the clothes he wore, whether they were geeky, punk, or just plain average, Spike had a fantastic body. Liam had seen all of it last night. Spike had gone for a shower while Liam was grabbing snacks for the two of them. Giles had asked of they had managed to assemble Liam’s bed, and had ordered the two boys pizza to reward their hard work. When Liam had got back to the bedroom, Spike had got out of the shower and stood by his own bed, with only a towel around his hips. When the towel had dropped to the floor, leaving a very naked Spike behind, Liam’s mouth had gone dry. Spike was gorgeous. The glimpses Liam had got while the blonde was dressing in the school bathrooms were nice, but those were nothing next to the complete picture. Liam wanted him.

More than that, he wondered if Spike would want to do more than kiss. Liam had wanted to touch that pale, naked skin. Stepping closer to Spike, he had wrapped his arms round the slim, toned waist. Spike had leaned back against Liam’s larger frame, grinding his ass softly against Liam’s groin. His left hand went to cover Liam’s larger one, pushing it down towards the trail of hair. Liam stroked it, feeling the hard muscles of Spike’s abdomen, the silky soft skin, and the fine hair that he knew led to a thicker, darker thatch at his groin.

Spike groaned. Liam’s fingers felt amazing on his skin, and would feel even better on his dick, which was painfully hard and flat against his stomach already. Liam’s fingers met the wet tip of Spike’s cock, making the blonde gasp. Liam moved his hand further down, gripping Spike’s shaft, and starting a slow, steady rhythm from the base to the tip and back again. Spike dropped his hand from Liam’s and used it to grip Liam’s firm thigh. Soon Spike was weak-kneed, gasping and on the edge of begging Liam to just go a bit faster so he could _bloody well cum!_

Liam’s own hard-on was pressing against Spike’s ass, still trapped in its denim prison. He was grinding harder, trying to find some relief, gasping and sweating just as much as Spike.

“Take it out,” Spike managed to gasp out, reaching behind him to fumble at Liam’s flies. Between the two of them, they managed to free Liam’s dick, making his jeans fall down to pool at his ankles. Liam thrust against the cleft of Spike’s ass, desperate for the skin on skin contact. The hand around Spike’s dick tightened its grip. Spike knew his own orgasm was close. Both boys lost themselves in their own pleasure, desperately seeking their release. Liam felt his balls draw up, belatedly realising that he would about to cum all over Spike’s muscular back. There was nothing he could do about it now- he was too far gone, and it wasn’t like Spike was complaining. If Liam hadn’t been so lost in his orgasm, he would have felt the Spike’s cock in his hand jump and twitch as his orgasm hit him.

Liam grinned at the memory. Spike had looked deliciously sated and it gave Liam a pleasant tingle to know that he was the cause of that. Spike had needed another shower after that to get clean, and Liam had washed up in the sink. The pizza had arrived mere seconds after they had both redressed, and they had managed to eat the whole pie, as well as the side orders that Giles had ordered for them. It had been a good end to a great night.

And now Liam was dropping that half empty box on the bed he had put together with Spike. He had said goodbye to his childhood home and was moving in with a guy he had picked on for years and had jerked off the night before. He felt sick. His palms were sweating. Everything was changing so fast, and he wasn’t sure he could cope with it. Any of it.

He heard Spike open the door, and felt those muscular arms circle his waist from behind. That wasn’t what Liam wanted. Turning in Spike’s embrace, he pushed the blonde away from him. The pained look in Spike’s eyes didn’t matter. All that mattered was being out of that room and out the house he didn’t belong in. So Liam left. He took the stairs at a run, nearly crashing into his mother who was heading up the stairs as he was going down them. The door slammed behind him as he left the house at a run.


	6. Repercussions

Liam ran for a few blocks, desperate to get away from his own thoughts, but no matter how fast he ran, the kept dogging him. He felt like a complete ass, leaving William alone like that with no conversation or explanation, but at the time it had been a great idea. As much as he could admit to himself that he was attracted to the blonde, he hadn’t meant to let it go that far. Like so many things, touching that beautiful, pale body was a good idea at the time too. Liam slowed from a run, to a jog to a walk. What was he meant to do? Just go back and pretend like it had never happened? Actually _talk_ to Spike? Neither of those sounded great, but aside from walking further, they were his only choices.

***

Liam’s mother walked past the open door of the boy’s room, catching sight of Spike, sprawled on the floor where he had fallen from Liam’s push. A slow trail of blood was trickling down his back from the cut on his head. Spike was sure there was a lump forming on the back of his skull from when his head had made painful contact with the wall, but it didn’t matter. Liam was gone. Did he really think it had been that much of a mistake? Liam had been the one to start it, after all. All Spike had been hoping for was a few kisses, maybe some playful groping, but Liam had seemed so _insistent…_

Eibhlin rushed over to the fallen boy, maternal instincts taking over. She led Spike into the main bathroom, locating the first aid kit and cleaning the wound. The bleeding had slowed and Spike didn’t even feel the antiseptic soaked cotton wool stinging the cut. All he could think about was Liam. From somewhere outside his body, he heard his own voice asking if Liam was still in the house.

“No dear. He ran out a few minutes ago. Did you boys have a fight?” Her soft Irish accent was tinged with American. It was proof of just how long she had been in the country. Idly, William wondered if his own accent would one day take on an American lilt like that.

“No. Just a misunderstanding, I hope.”

“Would you like me to talk to him when he gets back?”

“No!” The implications of that made William shudder. His father may have accepted that Spike was gay, but this woman was nearly a stranger to him. “No. I’ll talk to him.”

“Whatever happened to you? This is a nasty cut…”

“It doesn’t feel too bad. Just stings a bit. I fell is all.”

“Are you sure?” She looked sceptical and William had to fight the urge to look down at his feet.

“Yeah. I’m fine. It was an accident.”

“Well, if you’re sure, dear…” She paused, still looking sceptical. “How was the pizza?”

The honest answer to that was that it was sitting like a stone in the bottom of William’s stomach, and he was fighting to keep it down. Being ill now would just mean trips to the emergency room- parents were always convinced that sickness plus head wounds equalled concussion, when really the sickness would have been from worry.

“It was good, thank you.”

“You don’t need to stand on ceremony for me, William. Perhaps you would like to come downstairs and watch some television with your dad and I for a while?”

Would his dad know? Was it obvious that he had let another man touch him? Television and pretending to be part of a happy family didn’t seem like a particularly fantastic idea. “Yes, thank you.”

“Come on then. I’ll bet we have some candy or ice cream in the kitchen. I’ll go ask Rupert.”

“I have to change my shirt. The back of this one is damp.” That was true. Some time between leaving the bedroom and the end of the conversation with Liam’s mother, he had begun to sweat. Maybe it was from the memory of Liam’s hands on his body, or from fear of being found out, but whatever the reason, the combination of sweat and blood was creating an uncomfortable sticky sensation from his neck to the small of his back. Disappearing back into the bedroom, William located a clean shirt, and wiped off the sweat and blood with the shirt he had just removed. When he was sure he was decent, he headed off downstairs.

***

Rupert threw a worried look in his son’s direction. He couldn’t admit to being entirely happy about his son’s sexual preference, but that, he conceded, really wasn’t his decision to make. But the boy seemed distracted, jumping every time he was spoken too, and stuttering slightly when asked questions. Rupert hadn’t told Eibhlin that William was gay, and didn’t know how she would react to having Liam share a room with him.

What worried Rupert most was the nearly untouched bowl of ice cream that William had left on the table. William had never been able to say no to ice cream. Yet there it was, sat on the table, slowly melting. William had excused himself and gone up to bed.

“Do you think William is okay? This is a big change for him, and I know if I had faced the same things, I would have acted out a lot more.”

“I’m sure he’s fine Rupert. He’s probably just feeling a little out of sorts from bumping his head. He’ll be right as rain in the morning.”

“And what of Liam? He left in quite a hurry.”

“It’s a lot for him to take in too. Teenage boys value their privacy, and sharing a room has taken that away from both of them. He probably left to have some time to himself.” Both adults desperately hoped that was true.

***

Liam got back to the house a little after one in the morning. The key scraped in the lock, and the door creaked loudly in the otherwise quiet house. The walk had given him time to think and he cringed at how bad he must have made Spike feel. _Talk about mixed messages. Maybe I’m the guy version of Cordelia…_ The light from the television in the living room made Liam freeze on the spot. His mom and Spike’s dad were asleep on the couch, the volume on the TV turned down.

Creeping into the living room, he gently shook his mom awake.

“Hey.”

“Liam! Do you have any idea what time it is?!” She hissed, trying to not wake Rupert, who was already stirring.

“I’m sorry, mom. I needed to get out the house. And I think Spike needed some time alone too. I’ll come home sooner next time.”

Rupert was now fully awake and sat up polishing his glasses. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, thank you, Mister Giles. I just thought I’d let you know that I got back okay. I didn’t mean to disturb you.” Liam looked at the floor, feeling like even more of an ass than before.

“Don’t worry. Although we should all be getting to bed now, I think. Would you do me a favour and make sure William is okay? He was acting a little off earlier.”

A pang of guilt flew through Liam, making him feel momentarily queasy. “Yes, sir. I’ll make sure he’s okay.” Liam all but ran from the room.

***

Spike was in bed, the covers drawn up to his head, facing the wall. Even in the dim light, Liam could see the cut in the scalp. He cringed. Closing the bedroom door behind him, he stripped down to his boxers. For a moment, he considered climbing into the empty bed, but the thought of waking up in Spike’s arms seemed way too appealing to turn down. Lifting the covers, he slipped into bed next to the sleeping blonde, gently kissing the soft hair and stroking down one sleep warmed arm. Spike stirred, turning to face Liam. Those blue, blue eyes blinked open, meeting Liam’s own worried brown ones.

“Hey. Your dad wanted me to make sure you’re okay.”

Spike murmured something that was either an affirmative or an order to fuck off.

“Spike. Hey, Spike. Wake up for a second, okay? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you. Or hurt your feelings. I just…” Liam didn’t really know how to continue. “I just… I’m sorry.”

Spike snuggled closer and let himself fall back asleep. Liam stayed awake for another half an hour, stroking Spike’s hair and wishing he had the courage to press a kiss to those pretty lips. _Maybe in the morning when we’re both more awake…_


	7. Of Friends and Families

When Liam woke up, he was alone. In Spike’s bed. After a moment of panic, he realised that at 10:41 in the morning, Spike would be in school. _So much for that kiss then…_ Shrugging on some clothes that passed the sniff test, he dragged himself downstairs for breakfast.

***

Spike caught up with Willow and Xander in algebra class. Willow was easy to spot, in her bright pink top and pleated skirt. It was an outfit that didn’t work, but neither Spike nor Xander had the heart to tell her that. Xander waved him over and he dropped into the empty seat next to the window.

“Will, you’re an absolute hottie with the hair and the coat and all,” Willow told him with a wink. “Who would have thought that you cleaned up so nice?”

Spike scowled at her before laughing. “Yeah, I have all the attention now. Got all my Friday and Saturday nights fully booked with dates until next June.”

“I’m sure you’ll meet a nice girl who can accept your inner geek,” Willow replied. Spike and Xander shared a look, before breaking into laughter that had everyone staring at them.

“Speaking of,” Spike said when the giggles had finally slowed down, “I have to tell you about my weekend.”

“Progress?” Xander leant forward, his voiced pitched low enough that they wouldn’t be attracting any more attention to themselves.

“Yes and no. I’ll tell all at lunch,” Spike told them with a wink. Xander grinned. Willow looked confused.

***

Lunch time couldn’t come round fast enough. Spike had never thought of himself as the kind of guy to kiss and tell, but this had gone beyond kissing, and the mixed signals definitely needed to be analysed. They had done the same when Willow had met a guy online last year, who later turned out to be a group of cheerleaders playing a cruel joke on her.

The three of them sat round one of the cafeteria tables, despondently prodding at the mystery meat lunch that was probably horse or badger or something. Spike waited for the group of popular girls on the table behind them to leave before he started talking.

“Okay, breakdown of the weekend: kisses, touching, near concussion. Solve for X.”

Willow looked confused again. Xander looked thoughtful for a moment before deciding more information was needed. “How much touching?”

“Third base.” Xander and Willow’s jaws dropped.

“Really?? No offence, but I honestly thought Xander would be the first of us to get there…” Willow blushed, glancing at Xander before turning her attention back to Spike.

“Why? I’m not good enough for someone to want me?” Spike scowled.

“No! It’s not that. You’re just so shy and quiet. I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend.”

The two boys shared another look, Spike’s asking if he should tell, and Xander’s screaming ‘yes!’. “I don’t.” 

“But you just said…”

“’s not a girl.” Spike’s attention shifted back towards the congealing mess of food on his plate, a blush rising in his cheeks. Realisation dawned and Willow’s eyes went comically wide.

“Oh! Who? Is it Xander?” Xander choked on his soda at Willow’s suggestion.

“No! Xan’s just a friend, and he doesn’t swing that way,” Spike explained, slapping Xander’s back to stop him choking.

“Then who?! You can’t just leave us hanging here!” Lunch became very interesting again, to Spike at least, and he left it to Xander to fill in the blanks.

“Liam. He’s got himself involved with Liam.”

“He’s WHAT???”

***

Liam had decided to take the day off. Algebra and Spanish could wait. Sleeping some more couldn’t. He woke up again when the front door slammed shut. The voices of the people on the floor below were too indistinct to make out, so Liam just pulled the covers over his head and went back to sleep.

***

Rupert and Spike were in the kitchen. Spike was pouring himself a bowl of cereal for an after school snack. He could tell by the tension in his dad’s back that whatever was going to be said would be important or embarrassing, and may well end in another shouting match. He sighed.

“Get it over with.”

Giles turned to face his son. “William, I was thinking about what you said the other day.”

“About being gay?”

“No! Well, yes, actually, but more about that fact that you are picked on in school. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What would you have done? Spoken to the principal? That would have made me even more of a target if they found out. Us losers have had to work out the hard way that we need to put up with the lesser of two evils. Jonathan found that out that hard way.” Spike shuddered, remembering the smaller boy’s punishment for telling the guidance counsellor that he was being picked on. Two black eyes and a swirly. Not a good look on anyone.

“And why didn’t you tell me about your, em, preference?” Spike mumbled something into the bowl of frosties he no longer felt like eating. Giles tried again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”

Spike looked up defiantly. “I said I didn’t want you to hate me. Figured if I made it to college I wouldn’t ever have to tell you. I’d just have a secret boyfriend and you’d be happy thinking I was straight.” _Like the secret boyfriend that I was snuggled up to this morning…_

“William. I would never hate you for being yourself.” An awkward look passed over Giles’ face and both knew things were about to get more embarrassing. “When I was clearing your room I found a condom in one of the drawers.” Spike blushed bright red.

“Health class. Everyone got them.”

“Right. And have you got a, erm, boyfriend?” Giles actually grimaced at the last word, like it wasn’t quite British enough for him. Spike supposed that ‘partner’ would have been his preferred choice of word, but that his dad was trying to be modern.

“Sort of. It’s not official or anything, and its been less than a week.”

“Have you been intimate?”

“Dad!”

“I know its none of my business, but you are still living under my roof, and I would rather you be safe than have some nasty disease.” Giles looked stern. Spike felt uncomfortable.

“I’m going upstairs. We can finish this conversation sometime in the future. Like when I’m fifty.” Spike all but ran to his room, leaving a concerned Giles in the kitchen with a half eaten bowl of cereal and a long suffering sigh.


End file.
